REVIEW 71300 Uxar Creature of Jungle

[VBBN]

Set name: Uxar Creature of Jungle

Set number: 71300

Pieces: 89

Price: $10.00 | £xx.xx | €xx.xx

Release date: 2016

The Box

Front

Like most lego sets we have the CGI image of the set, some information, and the themes current header. Since I haven't mentioned it in a few review, these boxes remain to be the same hexagonal shaped ones for 2015, however they are now made of a noticeably sturdier cardboard.

Back

The back of the box shows the set features, as well as the unification feature between Uxar and Lewa. The buildable figures logo, which was a bit more prominent on the Star Wars sets, can also be seen here.

New and Interesting parts

Head

Uxar has the new creature head in silver mixed with trans bright green, which looks quite nice. Although, like some of the creature, I think the head looks slightly strange on the type of creature that Uxar is mean to evoke, which is an insect of sorts.

New parts

We have a new gear piece, the piece of unification in silver, and the sword mixed with green.

Interesting Colors/Recolors

We have the Vorox armor in silver, the beast fin in dark gray, the second shortest M-F bone in trans bright green, and, like lewa, we see a rare yellow axle. I should mention that uxar also has recolored wings- I didn't realize they were new, but, the wings are in fact new in trans bright green. Some people were a bit unsure about this as they exist in trans neon green, but rest assured they are in a new color.

Trap Halves

Here we also have the identical halves of the shadow trap in dark pearl gray, which each feature axle, pin and clip points.

The Build

Shadow Trap

This shadow trap uses the spine/vine pieces as legs, and has the longest tail of the traps. Like the other traps the hinge in the center allows the trap to open and close similar to a bear trap.

Torso

Here we start off Uxar's torso using an XT4 body and the piece of unification. Note also the yellow 5m axle and some yellow viking horns to add some color.

Function

The function is built similar to Melum and Ikir, in the sense that the one gear will move the other two as you lift up on the "tail" of the figure.

Limbs

We add the head and front legs of the figure.

Finished Figure

Buzz Buzz

To finish off the look, we add the wings. These are more insect like than Ikir's of course, though they are not mounted on a balljoint. The main articulation to be seen here is a hinge on each trans piece and the blue pin.

Dynamic Dynamite

Uxar shares a similar function to Melum and Ikir, so naturally it works well. And, like Ikir, the flapping wings can still be used in united mode.

Buzz Buzz

Color wise, Uxar is fairly evenly distributed. He also has more yellow visible than Lewa, which really helps to make his color scheme more visually interesting.

Proper Pose?

On most art we see Uxar in this sort of pose. It doesn't work all too well because the back spike holding him up is part of the trigger function for the wings, but it is possible to get him like this. I would suggest making a stand if you plan to keep him like this in the long term, though.

Overall

I'm not a huge fan of Uxar. Yeah, he's a good set in the sense that he has a good color scheme, his function is the best of the wave (shared with Ikir since both can work in their united modes) and he has some great new and recolored parts. But visually I'm personally not fond of...whatever Uxar is supposed to be. I get that he's supposed to be an insect, but I don't really see it and would have preferred him to be a more organic bird as a contrast to Ikir, although I can't knock lego for going with creativity. If we are looking at the set purely based on function, Ikir not only does what Uxar does, he does it better- and personally I would lean toward Ikir over Uxar, unless you really want the trans bright green wings on the back of your Toa (or, Umarak, who Uxar is also marketing to uniting with.) Additionally he doesn't pose quite as well as, the other creatures do, save of course for Akida who couldn't do much either way. I think if Uxar had a pronounced abdomen he might look more insect-like to me, but he is definitely a strong set in united form.

[Dorek]

The wings are super legit, and the the body construction is solid and does a good job at integrating the function. Looks good on Lewa, too. Something about the lack of legs kinda bothers me, but it's a minor quibble. Definitely a good creature for me.

[YellowCorvette]

Thanks for reviewing Uxar. Aside for the unclear inspiration on Uxar, I think Uxar's color scheme is more interesting than Lewa and I like it.

[Logan McOwen]

This little fella has my vote. Great wings, great design, great colours, great function... He's just great. Day one purchase for sure.

EDIT: I spelt vote as you would the name of the Reddit clone, Voat. Oops.

Edited December 22, 2015 by Logan McOwen

[VBBN]

I'm actually not so much a fan of the wings because the friction pins can slip so the trans part of the wings can shift around too easily for my liking. Still better than the likes of Flyer beast, but not as good as Ikir in my opinion.

[Takanuinuva]

I'm actually not so much a fan of the wings because the friction pins can slip so the trans part of the wings can shift around too easily for my liking. Still better than the likes of Flyer beast, but not as good as Ikir in my opinion.

Could you maybe show us what Uxar would look like with a wing build similar to Ikir's? Just with the flame pieces replaced with the wing pieces the Uxar already uses?

[Aanchir]

Uxar is definitely my favorite creature aesthetically, both in terms of the set on its own and the Toa-creature combination. It's possible that my opinion might change once I have more of the creatures due to Uxar's limited wing articulation, but for right now I prefer Uxar to Ikir (and Uxar, Ikir, and Akida to the other three creatures).

I wish Lewa had more Bright Yellow like Uxar does. The cross axles are a nice start, but Gali and Tahu both benefit greatly from their contrasting colors, and while Lewa is a very coherent model, a little bit of contrast could really help his colors "pop".

It's surprising that Uxar's talons and stinger are Dark Stone Grey rather than just SIlver Metallic, which they already exist in from last year's Lewa and Skull Scorpio, and which they're still being used in on the Captain Phasma buildable figure. But it doesn't hurt the color scheme at all; it's just an unusual decision since the colors are so similar.

[Fulcrumfan91]

Uxar is a fantastic little set. I love the pieces, the colours, the wings. However, I feel that the wings would be a pain to pose with those axles (or would often slip out of a position from which you'd want it) and, again, he's a jungle creature. This is the same issue I have with Uniter Lewa...what happened to his colour? Jungle creatures generally have very colourful schemes because they're either dangerous or trying to show predators/potential attackers that they are not to be messed with. Both Lewa and Uxar suffer from the lack of keetorange, or yellow, or really any other colour that could beat out that silver. Otherwise, I still think Ikir is a better 'flyer' set, but Uxar isn't in any way bad.

[TwistLaw]

Oh boy, this guy is gorgeous.

Outstanding colour scheme, great function, and my goodness that torso is just so well built (the Vorox armour looks like it was conceived for this set). Those creatures are miles better than the Uniters, and excellent sets on their own.

[CabooseBM]

Got Uxar last night, and she's pretty cute and great! The gimmick is fun and on par with 2015's gimmicks, fun but not intrusive. I do wish the wings were on balljoints like Ikir's are. I mean, I know some insects don't fold their wings up but this is kinda unwieldy as is. The color scheme works pretty well too, the silvers and greys and trans-lime-green, with hints of yellow is a nice combo.

I like how you can fold the back legs up to beef up the abdomen, making Uxar very streamlined. The antennae were a nice touch, but I wish they were a bit longer.

[Takanuinuva]

I tried giving Uxar Ikir's wing build. But it doesn't work with Uxar's aesthetic